A day to remember.

Today was a total rush. It is surreal to interact with things and places and people who have had a lasting effect on the world - like going to see the Statue of Liberty or seeing Hannah Montana's Best of Both Worlds concert.

But seriously now, I am very honored to say that I had the privilege of meeting the President of Rwanda, President Paul Kagame, for an interview this morning. It was amazing. I will save the stories, as they are much more interesting to share in person, but will leave you with a few photos to get a sense of the shoot:


Yeah, it was amazing. I could go on for a while but I'll save my thoughts for in person...

After a brief trip back to the hotel, Jonathan, Michael, Simon and I went to visit the genocide memorial. Talk about being on two ends of the emotional spectrum. I didn't have much knowledge about the genocide, being only 8 years old at the time it occurred. Before going to the museum, I was impressed by the progression of the country and the forgiveness that these people needed to engage with in order to be civilized after such terrible acts. Everyone keeps talking about the hope that has been instilled in Rwanda. There is hope for the future and that's what makes it a little bit easier to keep going. After being at the museum, I am overwhelmed by the progression of the country and the forgiveness these people give to one another. I don't know what I would be capable of myself in that situation.

The planning and the execution of the horrible acts - the fact that Hutu's and Tutsi's were of the same blood, that the names were given when the German colonists settled the land - the horror that must still plague these people. There is no way to describe or comprehend the situation.

Genocide is human sin at its darkest and the fact is that the annihilation of the Tutsi's and the Nazi genocide of the Jews isn't the complete story of genocide in human history. It has occured on nearly every continent of our small world over and over and over again.

What is our duty as human people to protect the life of our brothers and sisters around the world? How do we become so desensitized as to believe any life to be worthless and removable? We are the height of the Father's creation yet we often treat one another with less dignity than the grass in our yards. There is nothing more precious than humanity. We are all created in the image of God.

It was thought provoking, to say the least. I think that trip to the museum caused me to see the world more differently than anything else I have seen or been a part of on this trip. Sin is darker and more prevalent than we like to pretend it is. And the sins of the genocide aren't restricted to land-locked Rwanda.

May God have mercy on us as we do our best to live the lives we're meant to live.

After the museum, we had some lunch and drove out to this fantastic restaurant, called Heaven, to see if we could find a good place to interview Michael. We found the spot and got the interview. I'm really excited about how it looks :) Unfortunately, my computer is again refusing to upload photos and so I'll have to wait...

After the interview, we sent Michael off on the airplane. We were going to see the gorillas tomorow but found out the permit for filming is quite expensive and not a part of this budget. It's sort of a shame. Next time! We did land another important interview, however, and will be spending most of our day working on that.

Other than that, Jonathan, Simon and I went back to Heaven for dinner. Only in Rwanda can you experience the paradise that is Heaven pre-death. It was fantastic. 

And now it's time for bed. I'm still on track to get 8 hours tonight. I need it.

Love, thoughts, and prayers.